A New Normal
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Valentine's Day and his birthday are the two days Kinoshita Hisashi likes least out of the whole year…except, this time, there are those who'd like him to start thinking otherwise. .::Kinonari/Narikino::.
**A New Normal**

A Haikyuu! oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Haikyuu!_ characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. Because one of my beloved crows had a birthday and I'm incredibly late with this. -w- Read, review, and enjoy!

\- ^-^3

Finally, the bell tolled, signaling the start of lunch. Kinoshita waved to his classmate, Takemoto, before he vanished from the classroom and headed down the hall. When the sign over the door read "2-4," he swung inside and made a beeline for two desks in the middle of the window aisle. Yet only one was occupied.

"Where's Ennoshita?" he asked his friend as he grabbed Ennoshita's empty seat.

"Ducking out to the shoe lockers," Narita replied as he took out his lunch. "He said he wanted to get a peek, because Nishinoya commented that he might be more popular this year, what with the Spring High win."

Kinoshita rolled his eyes. "Really? He _actually_ let that stuff get to his head?"

"No, I didn't," Ennoshita remarked as he joined them. His arms were full and he couldn't fight the stupid smile on his face. "And it turns out Nishinoya wasn't blowing hot air for once."

Narita whistled impressively as Ennoshita dumped the haul on his desk. "What the… I saw you with a few last year, but you've got—over a dozen this time?!"

"Weird, right? But it's probably nothing to get too excited about." Ennoshita's smile lessened. "Being good at sports and winning some of the big games—it's unsurprising that all of a sudden we'd get fans."

Narita shrugged. "…yeah, you've got a point."

"He does?" Kinoshita asked skeptically.

"I got about half a dozen myself."

"Damn!" Kinoshita crossed his arms and leaned on Ennoshita's desk. He pushed his lunch aside. "So? Where are they?"

Narita chuckled. "Stuffed in my bag. I'll take them out at home."

"Nah. Share. It's lunchtime, so it's good timing," the blond added with a grin.

"Lunchtime is for _lunch_ ," Narita corrected him. "And I'm sure we all got chocolate."

Kinoshita's grin evaporated, and he cupped his cheek in his palm. "Nope."

Ennoshita and Narita exchanged a glance. "Really? None at all?" Ennoshita asked, as if he didn't believe him.

"C'mon. Get real, guys. I'm the only one who's never set foot on our side of the net in an official match. And I'm not your handsome Prince Charming." He tried to lean back in the chair and laugh it off, but it was hard to do when even he couldn't buy his own poor acting. Still, he waved their concern and pity off. "Don't worry about me. Just cough up a chocolate each to help feed me, and I'll be good."

Narita frowned and tugged on his left ear, a nervous habit of his. "Kinoshita…"

Just then, Takemoto popped his head into the college prep classroom. "Ah, Kinoshita! There you are."

"What's up?" Kinoshita called from his seat.

"You've got a visitor."

Him? A visitor? He looked at Narita and Ennoshita, but the other two appeared just as perplexed as he did. So he got up and went to the door as Takemoto left…revealing a girl behind him. Kinoshita stopped in his tracks about a foot away.

A girl?

For him?

Was this actually happening?

He blinked a few times, but his eyes didn't deceive him. A girl really had come to speak to him…but, no, if she'd bothered to track him here, then no doubt she wanted him to talk to Ennoshita or Narita for her. Kinoshita let his initial shock wear off before he spoke. "Uh, you wanted me? I can get Ennoshita or Narita for you—"

She shook her head. "Oh! Uh, n-no, that's all right. I meant to see you, Kinoshita-san."

The shock returned. He looked back at his best friends, gaping at them. Narita looked just as surprised as him, and Ennoshita's eyebrows were raised. So he dumbly turned back to the girl. "Sorry. I didn't catch your name…"

"Tadashima Benibara." She blushed. "My parents really have weird tastes…"

"No, it's…it's nice." He supposed. To be honest, it _was_ kind of weird. But Kinoshita knew better than to tell a girl that.

She bit her bottom lip. "Do you mind if we step outside to talk?"

"Outside in February? It's—"

"Just to the stairwell at the end of the hall is fine."

"Oh, right. Of course." How stupid of him. Of course no one would want to go outside in the middle of February. Another reason to hate this holiday….

He glanced, unsure, at his friends one more time before following Tadashima to said stairwell. It was so odd, he thought. He'd never had a girl ask for him before, not in middle school and not last year. And he couldn't imagine why in the hell one would be interested in him to begin with. He still wasn't convinced until Tadashima faced him with a smile and produced a small box of chocolate from her uniform jacket pocket.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she said.

An odd beat passed, and then Kinoshita remembered he was supposed to take the gift. "Oh, uh, thanks." Another awkward couple of seconds passed. "…sorry. I just—I'm not used to this." He ducked his eyes at her.

Tadashima held her smile, though. "It's fine. Actually…that makes me kind of happy."

"It does?"

"Yeah." She giggled, and it was a nice sound. "It means I'm the first one to take notice of you, so I get to keep this reaction all to myself." She pointed to the gift. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so there's white, milk, and dark."

"Thanks. I like everything, so it's great." He paused again.

Tadashima picked up the slack in the conversation. "Um…it's not friendship chocolate, if that's what you're thinking. I…I like you, Kinoshita-san."

"Why?" he blurted.

She laughed when he smacked his forehead at having thought aloud. "Because. I've seen how hard you work at volleyball, and you're always cheering your friends on, even as you sit on the sidelines. You never let it get to you, always quick with a joke or encouragement."

"You've come to our games?"

"Of course. Plus, I've seen you guys sometimes in the gym."

Okay, now he _was_ confused. Did he have an admirer or a stalker? Go figure he wouldn't land a normal girl the first time around.

She seemed to understand his confusion, and now it was her turn to be embarrassed. "Oh my gosh…! I'm so sorry! You probably didn't realize or know—I'm a first-year wing spiker on the girls' team." She laughed at herself. "I probably should've led with that as well as my name. Sorry about that."

"No, no, it's fine…" Wow. He'd lucked out. A girl interested in him…and a volleyball player, at that.

"We're a bit alike," she stated. She leaned closer and whispered as if it were a secret: "To be honest, I've not played in any official games either." Tadashima leaned back and laughed at herself again. "But it's not so bad, because we've still got practice, right? And my teammates are my friends, same as you."

He nodded vigorously. "No, you're right about that. I've known Narita the longest, actually, and we got into volleyball together, before high school. He and Ennoshita and I have been through a lot together since coming to Karasuno, though."

"Wow…" Tadashima seemed genuinely impressed. "That's so cool… I love it when friendships persist like that. I'm kind of close to my cousin like that, but she goes to another school." She let her topic stop there and scuffed the toe of her shoe on the floor. "So…"

Right. People usually responded when someone confessed to them. Still… He hadn't even known Tadashima Benibara existed until ten minutes ago. He smiled softly at her, hoping she couldn't read the doubt on his face. "Can I think about it? It's not a 'no' or a 'yes,'" he added hastily.

"That's fine, Kinoshita-san." Her smile was as wide as before. "You don't know me. It's understandable. But maybe…we could learn to get to know each other?"

"Ah, but with practice…"

"Maybe during a few lunches? Over the next week or two."

Kinoshita twisted his mouth around. It couldn't hurt. "I guess…"

She must've sensed his apprehension, because she toned down her enthusiasm as she added, "Starting next week. I don't want to start bothering you on a Friday, after all."

He was rather relieved. He wasn't ready to tell a girl interested in him that he disliked Valentine's Day or the day that came after it or why, but he appreciated how good Tadashima was at reading other people. "Thank you, Tadashima-san."

Her cheeks pinked. "It's fine. You can just call me 'Tadashima,' too. I don't mind…"

He smiled then, liking her boldness. "…all right. Thanks for the chocolate, Tadashima."

"See you next week?"

Kinoshita paused. Then—"Sure."

"Great!" She beamed again and he began to wonder if it hurt to smile so much. "Have a good weekend, then, Kinoshita-san!" And she dashed downstairs, likely back to her classroom.

On the other hand, he walked back to Narita and Ennoshita's classroom in a daze. He didn't even pull the door shut behind him when he entered, just walked straight until he literally bumped into Ennoshita's desk.

"Kinoshita?" Narita prompted, looking concerned.

Ennoshita raised his eyebrows again. "Everything all right? What did the girl want?"

The blond boy placed his box of chocolates on Ennoshita's desk. "…she…"

Narita furrowed his brow, and Ennoshita sat up straight to hear him.

"…she likes me." He blinked, snapping out of his stupor. "Uh, yeah. That's what she said."

The other two shared a look. Narita was the first to speak. "So, what's her name?"

"Tadashima. Benibara."

"That's…quite a name," Ennoshita commented. He cleared his throat. "So, what does she look like? We couldn't see her face around you."

"Oh, uh…she's got…hair."

Ennoshita and Narita stared at him. "Well, I'd hope so, genius," Ennoshita bluntly quipped. "Color? Short? Long? Did she look like Shimizu-san or Yachi or…?"

Kinoshita blinked. He'd just spent about fifteen minutes with the girl, but… "To be honest, I wasn't really paying attention…"

Ennoshita bit his lower lip and tried not to, but the best he could do was tone his laugh down so that it came out as a wheezy chuckle. Meanwhile, Narita looked more concerned than before, and he shook his head at Kinoshita. "Kinoshita, how could you not pay attention? She was right in front of you."

The blond made a face and sat down, tearing the box open. "Well, sorry, her looks weren't important or something, I dunno…" He really didn't like how they were grilling him, but he calmed down a bit as he placed one of the white chocolates in his mouth. Ah. It was good.

Once Ennoshita got himself under control, he sighed and shook his head at Kinoshita—and at Narita, too, Kinoshita thought, but he wasn't sure. "So, was that all? She just wanted to confess and give you chocolate?"

"No…"

Narita tugged on his left ear again. Kinoshita really wished Narita wouldn't do that. It made him feel nervous, too, sometimes.

The blond sighed and ran his hand back and forth through his hair, making it messier. "She wants to get to know me, so she wants to eat lunch with me starting next week."

Ennoshita whistled. "Whoo, boy. She's…pretty bold."

"Yeah, I thought so, too. She's a first year on the girls' team, you know."

"Which sport…oh." Narita no doubt guessed it.

Kinoshita grinned. "I know, right? I thought that was cool. I mean, the first girl ever to confess to me and it turns out she plays volleyball, too? What are the odds?"

"And?" Ennoshita asked.

"And what?"

"She asked to spend lunch with you. Did you accept?"

"Well…yeah." The grin melted off his face as he looked between his best friends. "What? You don't think I should've?"

Narita shrugged, frowning. "Not sure. You just met her…"

"Like I said, she wants to get to know me. How else can we make that happen?"

Narita was quiet for a moment—a moment longer than Kinoshita would've liked. But then he released a quiet breath and smiled gently. "As long as you're happy, Kinoshita."

He perked up then. It was nice, practically having Narita's approval. He looked to Ennoshita.

Ennoshita shot Narita a disgruntled look but pretended that hadn't happened and smiled at Kinoshita instead. "Yeah. What Narita said."

Since they were supportive of him, he decided to overlook today's strange behavior. "Good. So. You two still owe me chocolate…"

"But you finally got your own!" Ennoshita whined, and Narita laughed at the two of them.

\- ^-^3

Valentine's Day came and passed, and Kinoshita hated it a little less this year. Tadashima had been incredibly nice—and her boldness was quite refreshing—and the chocolates she'd given him _were_ yummy. It'd been a small box with six chocolate squares—two each of white, milk, and dark. He'd finished it before going to practice, and he could still taste it by the time he went to bed that night. But it didn't change the fact that he hated the holiday and the day that followed:

His birthday.

His thoughts were glum when he woke up on Friday, but at least he knew to expect them now. When he'd been really little, he hadn't cared, and his birthday had just been his birthday to him, and he'd been excited about it. But in elementary school, that was when they were taught about Valentine's Day and the chocolate-giving tradition…and, excited though he'd been for his first one, he'd never gotten anything. For the first couple of years, his birthday being on the Fifteenth had helped to make up for it, because presents trumped chocolate all the time. But then the years passed, and Kinoshita never got anything, and none of his friends had been into friendship chocolate either, not even Narita, whom he'd known since right before middle school. And guy friends in high school definitely didn't give friendship chocolate, so expecting anything from Ennoshita, Nishinoya, or them hadn't even entered his mine.

So he'd come to hate Valentine's Day, as well as his birthday, because his birthday was just a reminder of the horrible day before.

Still, Kinoshita thought as he got dressed and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading to school, he was probably being a bit overdramatic. Birthdays were supposed to be fun… And no one _made_ him celebrate Valentine's Day or not… He could just as easily decide to ignore the event with his whole being, because what was the point of that day anyway? Wasn't love supposed to be celebrated all the time and not just on one day in the middle of bloody February?

Best of all, when he went to school, there was no ruckus. Perfect. This was exactly the way he liked his birthday. During practice, the first years didn't bother him because they didn't know. The third years said nothing because they knew he disliked the fanfare. Tanaka and Nishinoya just gave him a thumbs' up in passing in the hallway. Only Ennoshita and Narita verbally wished him a happy birthday, but that was fine. They were the only two who could get away with it.

The three of them left afternoon practice together and Ennoshita, just as he'd done last year, tried making some loose plans for the evening. "We could go someplace tomorrow, if you wanted to stay in tonight," he suggested. He counted off his fingers. "There's karaoke, the arcade, the videogame store, the music store, the bookstore—"

"Ennoshita, stop," Kinoshita interrupted with a shake of his head while Narita chuckled. "Honestly, I don't want to do anything tonight, and it's supposed to be pretty cold tomorrow, so I don't think I want to go out then, either."

Narita smirked. "We're lucky it'll be warmer by the time the next volleyball season starts up in spring. Otherwise you'd never come play."

Kinoshita's cheeks burned and he swatted Narita's arm as the latter chuckled again. "Narita, you brat…! I don't hole up every time it's cold."

"No, but you're reluctant to do things when it is." He and Ennoshita shared in a laugh before Ennoshita turned off and headed home. That left Kinoshita and Narita to themselves since they lived a little closer and were nearer to their houses. After a block, Narita opened his mouth again. "So… About Tadashima…"

Kinoshita glanced sideways at him in time to see Narita drop his hand from his left ear. The blond sighed. "What about her?"

"You think you might grow to like her?"

Kinoshita shrugged. "We'll wait and see."

Narita's shoulders dropped a smidge, but he nodded.

"Hey… Is there something else bothering you?" He furrowed his brow and bent forward, peering at Narita as they kept walking.

"Don't do that… You'll walk into something, Kinoshita…"

The spiker grinned. "Nah. You wouldn't let that happen."

Narita rolled his eyes, but his smile confirmed he wouldn't.

"So what is it?"

"… What…did she say?"

"You mean, how did she confess?"

Narita nodded again.

Kinoshita straightened up and eyed the end of his road, which came up on their left. He frowned for a second but then went and leaned against part of the stone wall in front of the house on the corner, and Narita wordlessly followed. And he told him. "She told me a bit about her. Said we have a lot in common. Based on what she said…yeah, I'd have to agree."

"Well, there are players who wait in the wings on all teams," Narita said.

Kinoshita shrugged, though he knew Narita was right.

"Still." Narita briefly smiled. "That's something. And that was the only chocolate you got?"

They resumed walking, and Kinoshita's mood was lighter. "I know, right? To think that one chocolate could mean this." They arrived at Kinoshita's house, and Kinoshita smiled broadly. He waved to Narita over his shoulder as he unlocked the gate to head in. "Just you wait, Narita—you could be next!"

Narita smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Kinoshita paused and blinked, thinking it a trick of the streetlights.

But Narita had already turned, calling over his shoulder, "As long as you're happy, Kinoshita."

The blond hovered at the gate and watched until Narita disappeared from sight. But when he went inside, he found that his mood refused to lift again. How bothersome.

\- ^-^3

He knew he had school in the morning. Even if it was a half day, it was still school. Yet nothing Kinoshita did could make him fall asleep that night.

He wasn't certain why he was wide awake, either. He didn't have any unfinished homework…or at least anything that was due tomorrow… He'd returned Tanaka's manga to him earlier in the week…and Narita's CD to him the same day… Practice had been like usual… And he wasn't fretting about having lunch with Tadashima on Monday… Although, lunch with Tadashima might mean lunch without Ennoshita and Narita. He frowned at that. Maybe she'd be open to joining him and his friends instead? Or the guys could join them from time to time, wherever they ended up eating? Though, if they were around, Kinoshita knew he'd have a hard time using his manners in front of a girl; he was too used to joking around with Ennoshita and Narita and stealing from their lunches—usually Ennoshita's, since Narita rarely warranted theft.

Kinoshita tossed around a bit until he was flat on his back and staring at his ceiling in the dark. Maybe Narita was right, and Kinoshita was a creature of habit, enjoyed his creature comforts too much. Occasionally he'd thought that his friends let him get away with things, Narita more so, but he'd never pointed it out to them. Even what Narita had said, _twice_ now, he realized— _"As long as you're happy"_ —seemed rather passive.

His thoughts shifted to Tadashima…and he grimaced, scrunching up his nose as a sour thought hit him. Well, hell. Even concentrating on their first meeting, he couldn't picture her. He'd hope it was just due to his surprise when Ennoshita had asked him what she looked like and he'd barely responded. But now, focusing on it, he couldn't summon any details. Obviously she'd been wearing the girls' uniform. And her hair—he thought it was short and dark…but he couldn't remember. Even the smile she'd given him, sweet as he imagined it was, wouldn't fully form in his mind's eye. Hmm.

Was this a new problem he had? Or maybe a preexisting one he simply hadn't paid attention to? He could easily picture all his friends in club, right?

Well…of all of them, he expected to be the worst with remembering Yachi's face since she was newest to the club. But, no, he could describe her easily: shorter than Hinata, thin as a twig, big brown eyes, chin-length blonde hair always done up on the left with a star barrette. Picturing Shimizu was just as easy: shorter than him, shoulder-length blue-black hair, porcelain skin, piercing blue eyes, a mole at the bottom left corner of her mouth, and an average build which apparently drove Tanaka and Nishinoya crazy—although he mentally noted that they'd always commented on her beauty and cool attitude and not whether they were seriously attracted to her.

Kinoshita's thoughts wandered. Now he simply tried bringing the details of everyone in the club to the forefront of his mind. With each face that he mentally painted, the more excited he got. Hey, he was good at this! It almost felt like having a photographic memory. Too bad he wasn't good at drawing, he laughed at himself.

He could pick out the details of the first years, and he could imagine Coach Ukai's roughness in contrast with Takeda-sensei's softness, and the three third years formed one picture together in his head, mostly because he couldn't think of the trio separately.

But he was the best with the second years' faces. Well, of course. They were his friends. They'd joined the club together. It was hard to forget how much of Nishinoya's height was just his hair (about two inches, he was sure), or that Tanaka's left ear was slightly pointed (he claimed his sister's was, too), or that Ennoshita's nose was very subtly upturned, or that Narita's right sideburn was often shorter than the left (a tiny thing which forever amused Kinoshita).

Kinoshita hung out with Ennoshita and Narita the most, but he'd known Narita the longest… He turned on his side and pulled the covers up over his shoulders, closing his eyes and trying to picture how much of Narita he could recall in that very moment…

Yes. Narita Kazuhito. About three to four inches taller than him. Definitely heavier than him, but his legs were a bit thicker than Kinoshita's, as were his arms, so that was to be expected. Black hair buzzed down to a bit more than peach fuzz. Thin eyebrows, large eyes (though not as big as Ennoshita's), gray-brown irises which Kinoshita always thought of as warm… His jaw was square, his posture was good (a hell of a lot better than Kinoshita's), and he always looked ready to give a warm bear hug—which Kinoshita considered himself the lucky recipient of twice in the time they'd known each other, since Narita usually kept to himself. Kinoshita was the one who came from the cuddly family.

Kinoshita pouted as a chill ran over him despite the warmth of his blankets, and he sighed. He could go for one of those Narita hugs right about now. Especially after that face Narita had made earlier. Sure, Narita had wished for his happiness, but Kinoshita couldn't believe him when he said it with such a forlorn expression. Was Narita jealous? Kinoshita had told him he might get a girlfriend next. Besides, Kinoshita wasn't even dating Tadashima yet. Was Narita worried about Kinoshita not hanging out with him as much? Yeah, Kinoshita fretted about that, too, but… Narita had been number one in his life for years now.

So why did Narita act as though that would no longer be the truth?

\- ^-^3

Somehow Kinoshita managed to sleep despite his Narita worries, though he felt drowsy at school the next morning. Ennoshita and Narita asked him if he was fine, and he waved them off.

Ennoshita was easier to shake off than Narita, though, and Kinoshita had to endure several furrowed brows in the hallway and at the end of the day. "We don't have practice today, so you should just go home and go back to bed, Kinoshita," he insisted as the trio headed towards the school entrance.

Suddenly Ennoshita grabbed Narita by the arm, but he said nothing with Kinoshita present. He merely glanced at him, raised his eyebrows at Narita, and smiled. Up ahead, he spotted Tanaka and so he broke away from them. "I'll see you guys on Monday," he said before he jogged to catch up with their other ace.

Kinoshita slowed his pace on the stairs and sent Narita a skeptical look. "…all right. Talk. I thought you two were acting funny on Thursday, but that was _extremely_ obvious just now."

Narita dropped his eyes to his feet, and his skin flushed with dark color. "…no, it's nothing. Let's just head home."

They arrived at the shoe lockers, and Kinoshita went to his…with Narita in tow. "Aren't you going to get your sneakers?"

The other teen fidgeted, and Kinoshita could tell he was consciously avoiding tugging on his left ear.

"Narita…"

He burst. "Just get your shoes already, will you?!"

Kinoshita glared at him a bit. "What the hell is with you today?" The blond did as asked anyway and changed. He picked up his indoor shoes and went to stick them in the locker, but Narita grabbed his wrist. Kinoshita's heart sped up, wary of Narita's odd actions.

"Oh, my god, Kinoshita… I can't—" He rolled his eyes, cursed under his breath, and tipped his head in the direction of the locker. "Are you sure there's _nothing_ else whatsoever in there?"

He'd been about to scold Narita for making a scene, but there were few students around anyway, and Narita's question caught him off-guard, so he looked. And…there was something. A small envelope. It must've been shoved to the back by the sender or Kinoshita in moving his shoes around. Narita let him go, so he dropped his shoes and reached for it.

It was plain and cream-colored. On the front was written, in familiar handwriting, his name.

Kinoshita did a double-take, and his cheeks grew incredibly warm.

It wasn't his surname. It was his _given_ name. But even though he didn't think Narita had ever written "Hisashi" before, he _knew_ Narita's neat handwriting, with its precision straight lines and occasional artistic loops. He knew Narita's handwriting and liked it. But…

"This—" he started, looking up at Narita.

Narita was beet red. "Oh, god, I can't wait anymore, but please don't read that right here, right now." He pushed the envelope towards Kinoshita. "Save that for home."

"Is it—"

"There's a chocolate, too, that bar you like to get from Sakanoshita Shop, but—" Narita grew redder by the second.

Kinoshita had to stifle a laugh. He'd never seen Narita flustered, and he thought it was cute. He felt honored to see the normally-composed guy so jittery. He picked up his shoes and tucked them away, but he waited for Narita to switch his shoes, too. Then he asked, "Can we still go home together?"

Narita bit his lower lip, took a breath, and nodded. "As long as you don't ask about that…"

Kinoshita raised his eyebrows, making no promises.

They walked for a long while in silence and were almost to their neighborhood when Kinoshita tugged on Narita's sleeve. They stopped off to the side of the road.

"Is it friendship chocolate?" the blond asked.

Narita's eyes bugged out of his head, and his anxiety disappeared as he laughed unexpectedly. " _Friendship_ …?!" He caught his breath and wiped his eyes, he'd laughed so hard. Then he did the most stunning thing—he shook his head, a bright smile on his face. "No way in hell."

Now Kinoshita was the color of his mother's tomatoes in the summer. "WHAT."

But Narita seemed to regain his confidence the more Kinoshita grew confused. "No, it's definitely not friendship chocolate, Kinoshita. And don't even think of calling it pity chocolate or a joke, either." He briefly gave his friend a stern look. "You know I'd never make fun of you like that."

"But…" The blond's words failed him. Was this it? Was this that mythical popular period people experienced? First Tadashima. Now Narita. Who next? One of the first years or a player from another team or the granddaughter of the elderly couple who lived beside his family?

The taller boy coughed to clear his throat. He waited for Kinoshita to pick his gaze up off the ground. "I'm…sorry for the bad timing."

Okay, that one Kinoshita really didn't get. He furrowed his brow. "Why's it bad timing?"

Narita rubbed the back of his head but didn't shy away from Kinoshita's intense stare. "Well…it's so near the end of our second year. Plus you've already been asked out. And…" He sighed. "I know the past two days are usually the ones you like the least, so I guess this kind of complicates things even worse…" He closed his eyes and grimaced. "But I couldn't wait anymore. I really can't believe you didn't see my gift on Thursday."

Kinoshita almost corrected him that it wasn't just a gift but a love letter, but the term "love letter" made his insides feel fluttery. Especially when thought about in conjunction with his oldest friend.

"And…"

There was more?

Narita opened his eyes, and he looked pained. "Though I'd already put that in your locker before we even knew about Tadashima, after you met her, I felt really worried. I'll admit, I don't really want you to choose her—but that's mostly because I don't want you to think that you _have_ to date her, that she's the only shot you'll get. I won't doubt that she likes you, but you should know that other people do, too." He bit his lip again.

"So you really…?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Maybe it was a convenience thing? They'd known each other for so long, so that was a possibility.

"Frankly, I agree with a lot of what you told me Tadashima said. About you trying hard despite not being a regular. I can empathize."

Kinoshita pouted. "But you _have_ played in official games…"

Narita briefly smiled. "But otherwise I'm always by your side, cheering alongside you. But it's not just that." He took a step closer, though Kinoshita wished he wouldn't. Weren't they already standing close enough? Not to mention that it felt far too warm for February when Narita was this close. "The thing is, she was wrong about one thing: It gets to you, and I _know_ how much it gets to you, not playing officially."

Kinoshita's hackles went up. He never talked about it, though he'd thought Ennoshita and Narita had noticed a while back. But only Narita would've felt comfortable enough to say the words out loud.

"And I admire you for sticking with the game in spite of that, because you love it that much. I admire that we share the same passions."

Oh. That…was surprising, to say the least.

Narita continued to meet his gaze, but it was clear he was done talking. The silence stretched out between them, but neither friend made the move to end it. It was all right, with them. They'd known each other for so long that they didn't _need_ to end it.

In addition, Kinoshita took the time to sort out his thoughts, which were messier and more disorganized than the inside of Nishinoya's schoolbag. That was easier said than done, however, because his thoughts were so damn disjointed…but it helped to have something to focus on, staring at the other boy like this. That face was so familiar to him that it bordered on being comforting, but Kinoshita noticed something then, a detailed he'd missed before. "Huh."

"What?"

"Did you know you have copper flecks in your eyes? One in each, at about four o'clock," he said, gesturing to his own eyes.

Red cheeks returned to Narita. "What? Why are you pointing that out now?!"

Kinoshita nearly told him that was because he'd been thinking about him last night, but he realized how that might sound, and that made his heart race a little. "It's…never mind," he mumbled, and he tore his eyes away only once he had those copper flecks memorized. They started walking again.

"I'm not forcing you to answer me, you know," Narita said softly after a few yards.

"Pretty bold move to write 'Hisashi' then, if you were expecting nothing."

"Ah, right… Sorry about that."

Kinoshita exhaled and replayed the last twenty minutes in his head. Another question popped into his head. "So Ennoshita knew, right? That's why he so deliberately wanted us to go home without him? That's why you two kept exchanging looks on Valentine's Day? He knew about the lo—about the gift?" he queried, catching himself before he said the words "love letter" and made himself combust.

"Yeah. He had a hunch when the three of us were away from club activities last year, and he dropped some hints to me until I told him." Narita's usual smile returned to his face, and his features seemed warmer to Kinoshita at that. "Ennoshita actually encouraged me to do the gift. I was against it, but he really thought it'd be the right opportunity since our chances of getting chocolates were higher this year."

Kinoshita half laughed, half scoffed. "I thought _Nishinoya_ was the one who'd said that."

"I think he really agreed with him, though."

Suddenly they were at the Kinoshita family nameplate, and Kinoshita frowned, not believing their walk was already over. He gave Narita an apologetic expression.

"It's all right," Narita assured him. "Things don't have to change between us, Kinoshita. Just…give it some thought before you make up your mind about her. I'll be fine whatever. As long as—"

Oh, god, not those words again. Kinoshita held up a hand to stop him, and the spiker's irritation from last night resurfaced. Hearing those words twice had been bad enough. But a third time might make him want to clock Narita. So Kinoshita came up with the perfect punishment—and held his arms open.

Narita cocked his head to the right and raised an eyebrow. "Kinoshita, what are you…"

Kinoshita shook his arms, leaving them open.

It dawned on the middle blocker, judging by his gape, what Kinoshita was demanding, and he obliged. He took a step forward and drew Kinoshita into one of his rare bear hugs.

Kinoshita hugged him back. Ahh, it really did make things better. It wasn't just Narita's appearance he knew so well but his warmth, too. And Kinoshita marveled at that, since he'd only experienced this proximity twice before. And, he thought, perhaps he wanted to experience it more, if it made him smile as wide as he did now.

"Uh, Kinoshita…"

"I know, I know." Kinoshita released him, knowing his face was pink not unlike Narita's. He flashed him a grin. "I believe you, you know."

"Huh?"

"About it 'definitely not' being friendship chocolate."

" _Kinoshita_ …!" Narita hissed.

His reaction was so amusing, Kinoshita couldn't hold in his laugh as he turned to head in to his house. "I'll talk to you later, Narita. Have a good weekend!" And, with that, Kinoshita was certain that he and their relationship—no matter what it became—would be fine.

\- ^-^3

By the time Monday morning came, Kinoshita had regained his composure.

He'd eaten a quick lunch on Saturday before running up to his room to read Narita's love letter—and he'd nearly choked on the candy bar tucked into the envelope. _Good. Lord._ He hadn't known Narita could be so sappy. Like, _sickeningly_ sappy sweet. Yet, no matter how many times he reread the words, Kinoshita couldn't deny: They were the honest words of Narita Kazuhito, and Narita Kazuhito had been in love with him since middle school.

Kinoshita barely slept Saturday night, and he spent most of Sunday recalling how to function. As in, what time did he get up on the weekends? Did he like milk or orange juice with his breakfast? Was there practice before class on Monday? When was it that the second years were going over to Tanaka's to study together? How did he tie his shoelaces again?

Still, while he wasn't ready to call up Narita and announce "Let's be boyfriends!" he knew how he felt about Tadashima as well as about Narita. It really wasn't a good sign that Tadashima hadn't pierced his consciousness well enough in order for him to remember her much at all, and he couldn't write off memorizing details of Narita as the side-effect of having been friends for a little over five years. But that didn't mean he had to tell Narita anything right away come Monday.

Morning classes came and went, and Kinoshita and Takemoto finished the math homework together before the blond headed to class 2-4 at lunchtime. "Still think it's a shame," Takemoto called after him, but Kinoshita just waved him off.

Ennoshita and Narita were at their desks when Kinoshita arrived and pulled up a chair, leaning on Ennoshita's desk. "So, who's got what for lunch and who wants to trade?" he asked.

Ennoshita shook his head. "Aren't you supposed to be meeting Tadashima today?"

"Speak of the devil," Narita said. He was looking at the classroom door. "Is that maybe her?"

All three boys turned, and the girl standing in the doorway smiled and waved at Kinoshita. Her smiled clicked into place, and Kinoshita decided it had to be her. Now that he got a good look at her, he could see that she was cute, and she reminded him a bit of Michimiya from the girls' volleyball club, if Michimiya had a younger sister.

"You should go eat with her," Narita insisted. "She seems friendly enough."

Kinoshita internally groaned at Narita's martyred attitude, and he was glad that Ennoshita gave Narita an "Are you an idiot?" look for him while he got up to go meet with Tadashima.

She didn't seem surprised that he didn't bring his lunch with him, but she was a tad disappointed when they walked to the windows across from the classroom. "Is today a bad time, Kinoshita-san?"

He gave her half a smile. "Not really, but… Tadashima, I'll be honest. I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now." He tried not to think about how he'd spent Saturday night thinking about the word "boyfriend" instead.

Tadashima heaved a sigh, but she didn't resent him his response. "I knew it was a longshot. It always it, confessing to the person you like."

He blinked. Had it been like that for Narita, too?

"But I still like you. I hope that's okay?" She furrowed her dark brow, looking troubled.

"Ah, no, of course it is! I just… I don't think I can return your feelings, Tadashima."

She nodded. "Thanks for being straightforward with me." She raised her eyebrows. "But, you know, I could try being friends? If you ever want another person to eat with…"

He grinned. "Friends sound good. And I might take you up on that offer."

Tadashima beamed, and it was blinding. He kind of understood how Tanaka and Nishinoya could be caught up by Shimizu's beauty when a girl could smile like this, even if he wasn't attracted to her. "Well, see you around, Kinoshita-san!" she chirped, and she bowed her head before leaving.

He returned to his spot with Ennoshita and Narita, who both looked surprised. "What?" the blond asked, opening his bento.

Narita gaped at him. Ennoshita recovered first. "N-Nothing. Just… You turned her down?"

"Yup," Kinoshita said with a mouth full of scrambled egg. He swallowed and continued, "We just want to be friends." He could sense them exchange a look over his head. "And you two can stop that, now that the cat's out of the bag." He grinned impishly at them.

"Well, that was only my cat," Narita remarked, and he yelped when a red-faced Ennoshita kicked his shin underneath the desk.

Kinoshita looked warily between them. "Uh, this isn't _really_ my popular period, right…? Ennoshita, you don't…me…?"

" _No_ ," Ennoshita hissed, glaring at Narita.

Kinoshita snickered and shook his head at them, glad things were back to normal.

But Narita caught his eye and smiled.

Even from that smile, Kinoshita could feel his warmth, and he let himself get a little lost in Narita's eyes again, spying those copper flecks in no time. It was easy to recall that Kinoshita owed him a reply…but in the future, not now. Then they'd have a new normal to get used to—but it was one he could see himself, as he would with Narita, embrace wholeheartedly.

\- ^-^3

 **6,800 words later and I am a useless piece of trash who needs her fluffy Kinonari/Narikino feels. :3c Originally this was titled "Birthday Wishes," but that's kind of a crappy title and the ending kind of helped fix that. XD Plus, I had planned from the beginning how Kinoshita and Tadashima were going to interact, and that Narita would be a bit panicky and end up feeling a bit like "now or never" in this scenario… (By the end, I kind of wanted Kinoshita's classmate, Takemoto, to ask Tadashima out, *lol*. XD) So yes… OCs…you are literary devices created to get my OTP together…ish. Poor Nari doesn't have an answer by the end of the fic, but Kino is a greedy little birb who cannot live without Nari's hugs, smiles, and everything, so you bet that Kino eventually owns up to liking him that way, too. -w- As for Ennoshita, that was supposed to be a hint that Ennoshita's got a crush on someone, too, and only Narita knows, but eh, maybe that's a story for another time (though if you're someone who's read any of my other fics, you can guess at who Enno's pining for ;P). I love the 2** **nd** **yr trio so much… My babies… And Kinonari, you cuties… I also really love the trio's friendship, and Enno and Nari being in the same class; I feel as tho they think on the same wavelength, just one of many reasons that they could confide about love and things in each other. *happy sigh*Also, Narita being impatient is cuuute… And Kinonari hugs… *iz just a puddle of feels now at all the cuteness* I just had to doodle their hug, which I used for the story's cover (you can see a bigger version under my art tag on my tumblr, le-amewzing).**

 **Thanks for reading, and please review! Check out my other [** _ **HQ!**_ **] fics, too, if you enjoyed this.**

 **-mew-tsubaki :}**


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